womanofdulwich

Thanks Applespider- maybe I am going against the traffic getting the tube to Victoria and then getting the train. FIngers crossed I will try it tomorrow. :)

So, I stayed on the tube at victoria, at 5.45 and did not get off ( I went to Brixton and got a bus), but as we pulled away at Victoria I looked out of the window of the tube and it looked better than usual- it this just scare tactics? Getting the bus at Brixton is always a challenge and I am not sure I have the nerves to do this for the next year. Did anyone brave the tube/ mainline transport exchange in the rush hour and how was it?

We actually get about ?88 pcm for first child and if we have to it is a total of ?146 pcm in child benefit in the UK. Makes Ireland look very generous.

Anyone else looking forward to trying to avoid victoria underground between 3pm and 8pm tomorrow? and for the next year-grrrrrrrrr

Try watching NEDS- for context on teenage gangs( I did have to close my eyes for some of it).

Finding the "reading group book" for next month in a charity shop-or better still the libray- especially if you didnt really fancy it anyway..................

I dont think jsut having a shower is always enough-I think deoedorant is also needed sometimes- especially if wearing synthetic fabrics.

Slightly off but how do those proposed cuts compare to what we have here now? Lady Muck I am guessing you might know? I am a bit out of touch ( for the moment anyway ) on what we give under our welfare system.

(tu).

How can yo not want to see your childs' face as you walk along? I think it is a priority- otherwise you have to keep stopping and checking them. Ok after 6 months maybe you move to a lighter buggy that faces the front, but I think it is one of the real joys of being a parent. Nothing worse than seeing those zombied looking parents/carers with a mobile phone in their hands who talk on their phones for 30 mins non stop and ignore their charges!!! grrrrr.

Its just a freebie for those teachers. do not encourage them. say no and try and whip up other parents the same. At age 13 they are not all even going to choose Art GCSE. It is not uncommon ( the price) but quite unusual at age 13, I think.

Everyone HAs to recite a Burns poem- in their best attempt at a scots accent. Tam O shanter - verse each is a very good one.Whisky on your haggis- maybe a spot of brown sauce on the side too. Soup to start- cock a leekie or ham and lentil.

and the velodrome too

Karter I actually think an answerphone where you can screen your calls and a hands free phone are essential.The former particularly around your due date - if you are late- some people insist on calling you all the timeand it can drive you nuts.Secondly you cant breast feed and lots of other things while holding a phone and sometimes you need helpand to have both hands free. Good luck.

CHrist- talk about jumping to conclusions. I did say it was my experience only. I have come across maids in central London who are not UK passport holders and they sleep on the floor in the kitchen. I have also come across Phillipino Maids who are not exploited- they are paid a good wage, but send a lot of their money home for their families. I have lived in Dulwich for 20 years and have never come across a maid.

Dully ,those countries are the limit of my knowledge. I know in Dubai the work visa set up means there are a lot of non natives who work for relatively low wages that they send home. I have never met anyone in this country with a maid, other than Arabs/ Africans and they have been in Central London, the maid travelling with them betwen their various homes. This is just me experience. Usually their maids are from places like the Phillipines and they have left their children and parents behind and send money home. This is just a reflection of my knowledge/ friends. Maybe it is the word maid? with all its connotations. It is a word generaly associated in this country with the upper classes and their country homes, or from asia/africa /middle east. I'm all for help on the house, butI would have to pay the market rate to someone that has the right to work here.

Saleha Hello? where are you talking about maids? Maybe in somewhere like Dubai- but not in western europe/australia. This is East Dulwich after all -

Make soup and puree it so they cant identify what they are eating. Also spaghetti bolognese type sauces with blended veg.Maybe if they can get involved with choosing at the shop or what you grow that will help? I think because of the vitamins they cannot exist on dairy and wheat products alone. If the puree does not work then maybe you can try a multi vitamin instead. Have you made castles and volcanoes out of mashed potatoes etc etc with sweetcorn and baked beans in etc( my mum did and so did I). Also sausages split open with little green men ( peas inside). Worked for me anyway ;-)

I think it depends on how much money she has!! I work with a 29 year old who has broken his screen twice in 2 years. He can afford to mend it. Maybe you and daughter pay- how much each depend son her spending power and your relationship.

It is much easier to make a big "roasting pan" cake and then cut out the number you need. No fear of any of the excess cake being wasted if a no 1 cake just cut in down the middle and sandwich together if you need to. The cost of makiing a bigger cake than you need and eating the spare bits is much cheaper than the cost of hiring a tin,

I think it is worth bearing in mind that if you actually work as well as look after children , especially if more than 2 days a week, then it is worth getting a cleaner for 2-3 hours a week. Our mothers did not work and do everything else by themselves. Children create work in terms of cleaning and if you know that your floors and work tops are cleaned once a week - and work clothes are going to be ironed for you, then this really does make a huge difference. There is no shame in having a cleaner, especially when the going rate at ?9-?10 an hour, you are not exploiting anyone. Also re play pens- you need to use them before your baby starts to crawl so they are used to it.

I recommend a great book called The Family Manager takes charge by Kathy Peel.published BY ebury Press. You will know a lot of the stuff in it, but lots you wont and all useful.Also makes you realise what you do do.

I cant stand Gary Crowley et al any longer. You dont realise the intelligenrce of Danny until someone covers for him this long. What is everyone else listening to?

of course full babies like adults sleep longer plimsoul. Have you never tried going on a diet yourself and woken up starving? Believe me if you dont eat enough it catches up on you and you wake up in the early hours and prowl the house for food.

Radnach, I think you have done really well to last this long. My sons are 15 and 19 andback in the 90's we were advised to start weaning at 4-6 months, which worked well with getting a full nights sleep. We were only allowed 6 months maternity leave, ant this worked really well, so that by the time we went back to work we were just doing morning and evening breast feeds if we wanted to. I think sometimes women sacrifice too much to hold the line that they are still exclusively breastfeeding ( but I am more selfish than others). Good luck with the baby rice. I think it is a good time for your partner too. (tu)